Cold Snap
by Gremblin
Summary: Part of my headcanon series. Once-ler's never experienced snow before. He also has never been told of the dangers of cold temperatures.


**1.**

Once-ler's never seen snow before. As he looks out his tent door at the white carpet of fluff laying on the ground, he wishes he wasn't seeing it now either. The weather is almost enough to make him pack up and run back to the farm – it's too cold, much colder than what he grew up with on the farm. He's wearing every piece of clothing he owns (which truthfully isn't much) and is still shivering.

He doesn't want to go out, but he hasn't been in town to try and sell his thneeds in close to a week. He needs to go to work.

Melvin's sitting, asleep, on the floor of Once-ler's tent next to the bed. It's another body for heat inside the tent.

Slinging his guitar over his shoulder, Once-ler closes the door and begins the hour-long walk to the nearest town. At least one of them will be able to stay somewhat warm inside next to the tiny space heater.

**2.**

The centre of town isn't any warmer than in the middle of the truffula forest like he had been hoping, Once-ler finds out.

Regardless, he spends four hours there, playing his guitar, singing his songs. His thneed is wrapped around his neck for a scarf, but it doens't do a very good job of keeping him warm. The heat's escaping too easily and Once-ler wonders if he can fix that by adding some cotton or wool into it. Those are supposed to be warm fabrics. At least that's what he's been told.

It starts snowing about the first hour. Very few people come to see him. Not even Norma, although he doesn't blame her.

The lack of tomatoes hitting him is a nice change, too.

He goes home with only a dime more than he'd arrived with, and only that because he'd found it sitting in the slush on the sidewalk.

The snow is falling harder and he has trouble getting through it with how high it's piled up.

**3.**

Snow, Once-ler's learned, is an all-natural menace.

He's also learned that he _hates_ the stuff. The trip between his tent that he lives in and the town that usually takes an hour to complete has already doubled.

He's not even a third of the way home yet.

He's not sure if he's going to be _able_ to make it back to his tent, but he doesn't know where else he can go. Norma's the only person in town that he knows but he's not willing to ask to stay the night at her house – that would be _very_ improper. So he slowly makes his way forward, hoping he hasn't gotten turned around.

_4._

Once-ler can never remember being as cold as he feels.

He knows he was going home, but he can't remember what direction home is in.

The snow is up to his waist and is rising still, small flakes still falling in the millions from the sky. He wishes they'd stop because if they did then maybe he'd be able to stop shivering.

**5.**

It's getting dark, the evening bringing with it a chill wind that blows the snow still falling from the sky around. The flakes find their way through his clothes and make him even colder than he already feels.

Once-ler tries to move faster, but he can't. He keeps falling down, stumbling over his own feet.

He wonders, briefly, why the sky is blue. And how the truffula tufts stay on the tops of the trees. Shouldn't gravity pull them down?

Pulling out his grandfather's pocket watch (stolen from Brett before he'd left) Once-ler looks at the time. His face wrinkles up in confusion because he thought that five o'clock had passed already ...

He continues walking, not quite sure why when curling up seems like a much better idea.

**6.**

Later, although how much later isn't known by Once-ler, he thinks he hears something.

He can't remember where he was going. Not long after realizing this he falls down and try as he might he just can't pull together the energy to get back up on his feet. The snow's finally - _finally_ - stopped falling but the wind is still blowing it around and making it hard to see.

Between one long blink and another a small figure appears in the distance. It takes a few moments for him to realize that he should try and get the thing's attention, because maybe it knows where he was going.

"Heh-" Once-ler tries tiredly, but the word cuts itself off barely after it's even started. It wasn't loud enough for the figure in the distance to hear him. Some part of him knows this.

Despite it the figure immediately bolts towards him, standing up from where it had been touching one of the truffula tree trunks. The thing is orange and fluffy. And warm.

He knocks his hand against the brim of his hat to let him see it better. He hasn't been able to feel his fingers for almost as long as he hasn't been able to feel his lips. The fluffy orange thing touches Once-ler's cheek and looks into his eyes, worry plain on his face.

_The Lorax._ Once-ler remembers. This fuzzy orange furball is the Lorax.

"Jeez, kid." The Lorax sounds as worried as he looks. "I leave you alone for two weeks and you decide to try and kill yourself? Where're those brains you were bragging about?"

He's safe, Once-ler realizes slowly. The Lorax will know where he was going. Relief floods his thin body with the thought.

"Wait a second, no!" The Lorax shakes him and Once-ler finds his eyes opening again. When had they started closing? "You gotta stay awake! Up! Get up!" The Lorax orders, pushing at Once-ler to stand. Laying's much more comfortable, though, so he stays down. "Beanpole, you're nearly home! It's _warm_ there, you can lay down inside where there isn't any snow!"

It takes a few moments for the words to sink in. Warmth, heat, _home_. That's where he was going. He's almost there?

It takes the combined efforts of both Once-ler and the Lorax to get the tall human standing again, and even more effort to get him moving forward. The Lorax has to lead Once-ler by pulling on the bottom edge of his coat and more than once he has to talk his friend (although he'd never admit to considering the annoying man that) into continuing to move forward.

Eventually they reach the tent. It takes Once-ler five minutes to figure out how to open it with the Lorax gently coaching him through it. As soon as he enters the Once-ler curls up, pressed into Melvin's side, and falls asleep.

The Lorax sighs, knowing that his work has only just begun.

...:::TL:::...

_More will come later. It's midnight and I have to work early tomorrow._


End file.
